Storm hammers North Dakota

Some areas report up to foot of snow

Some areas report up to foot of snow

April 03, 2007

BISMARCK, N.D. - Snowmobiles and snowblowers were dusted off for the New Year's holiday weekend, and no travel was advised on many of the state's roads as a winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow in central North Dakota and rain in the eastern part of the state. "It's snowing like crazy. It has not let up once all day," said Teresa Schlittenhart, who works at the Cenex service station in Hazelton, south of Bismarck. "I know we have a foot," she said early Saturday night. State transportation officials said snowplows were pulled off many roads early Saturday night due to heavy snow and reduced visibility. The National Weather Service said snowfall amounts in central North Dakota late Saturday night ranged from 8 inches in Bismarck to 16 inches in Ashley, with up to 3 more inches expected overnight. Schlittenhart said she had a snowmobile, but could not remember the last time she used it because of mild winters and drought. "It's been a couple of years," Schlittenhart said. "But people are snowmobiling like crazy today." In Bismarck, police said they had not had time to count the number of fender-benders on city streets, though they reported no major injuries. "They're continuously coming in. The whole city is pretty slick," Officer Brandon Rask said. - athan Heinert, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Bismarck, said the winds were expected to pick up later Saturday. "In the open country, it's going to be the worst, from Minot to Bismarck and a few miles to the west," he said. The moisture was blamed for a power outage in northwest Bismarck on Saturday morning. Montana-Dakota Utilities spokesman Dan Sharp said it lasted about two hours and affected "several hundred" customers. "It was probably moisture-related," Sharp said. "If an insulator gets a crack in it, and we have moisture, it'll cause the insulator to break sometime." The insulator keeps power lines from touching each other, he said. Grand Forks and areas in northeastern North Dakota could get up to 10 inches of snow by Sunday night, the weather service said. The Fargo area was more likely to get ice and sleet along with strong winds. "The bottom line is, travel will be hampered significantly through the area," said forecaster Dave Kellenbenz of the National Weather Service in Grand Forks. "The Fargo area's kind of going to be on the dividing line from the heavier snow to the freezing rain-sleet mix," he said. The Minot airport reported 4.5 inches by 7 p.m. Friday. The city had not seen a major snowfall since about 3 inches on Oct. 30, and some residents had to get reacquainted with their outdoor tools. "I'm still trying to get the hang of this snowblower thing," said Della McAllister, who was using the machine to clear her sidewalk in Minot. Before the weekend, the city had officially recorded just 0.17 inch of precipitation for December.